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 The
Life of Her Royal Highness the Princess Mother Early Years
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Somdej
Phra Srinagarindra Boromarajajonani, Her Royal Higness the Princess
Mother, was born into a goldsmith's family in Nonthaburi Province
on 21 October 1900, and given the name Sangwan.
  Her
Royal Highness the Princess Mother lost her father when she was
very young.
She
grew up with her mother and relatives in the community around Wat
Anongkarm Temple in Thonburi, across the river from the capital
of Bangkok. She was among the first generation of Thai women given
the opportunity of a modern education. As a child she first learned
to read and write with her mother before regular schooling. She
later attended nursing school at Siriraj Royal Medical College and
graduated with her nursing certificate in 1916. A year later the
young Miss Sangwan was selected to further her nursing studies in
the United States of America. Between 1917 and 1920, she took courses
in preparation for advanced nursing studies.
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Marriage
and Motherhood
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During
her studies in the USA she met His Royal Highness Prince Mahidol,
a son of His Majesty King Rama V and Queen Savang Vadhana. The couple
were married by the Prince's brother, King Rama VI in a royal wedding
ceremony on 10 September 1920 at Srapatum Palace, Bangkok.  The
couple lived overseas for the next years, while His Royal Highness
Prince Mahidol continued research and advanced studies in public
health and medicine in several countries. Her Royal Highness Princess
Mother took pre-nursing studies at Simmons College in Boston, before
devoting her time to the Royal Highness Princess Galyani Vadhana
Kromluang Naradhivas Rajanagarindra, was born in England in 1923.
Two sons soon followed: His Majesty King Ananda Mahidol born in
Germany in 1925, and His Majesty King Bhumibol Adulyadej in the
United States of America in 1927. In June 1928, His Royal Highness
Prince Mahidol completed medical studies at Harvard University.
Determined to use his modern medical knowledge for the good of the
people, he brought his family back to Thailand.  In
May 1929, the Prince took an assignment as a resident physician
at McCormick Hospital in the northern province of Chiang Mai. Their
married life was all too brief. On 24 September 1929, Prince Mahidol
passed away. Her Royal Highness the Princess Mother, then aged 29,
now was sole parent to the three royal children. Her Royal Highness
moved with her children to Lausanne, Switzerland in 1933, out of
concern for their educational future and for the health of her older
boy. Their life again faced major change in 1935, when His Majesty
King Rama VII abdicated. The Royal Thai Government invited Her Royal
Highness' nine-year-old elder son to become King Rama VIII of the
Chakri Dynasty, the first Thai king to ascend the throne under the
new constitutional monarchy. T he
Princess Mother undertook prime responsibility to care for the young
king during the sensitive period of political transition in Thai
society. She shared a constructive part in defining the duty and
role of the constitutional monarchy in Thailand. When her younger
son ascended the throne in 1946 at the age of 18, upon the death
of his brother, Her Royal Highness again provided excellent care
for the new monarch. The two royal sons became exemplary kings.
His Majesty King Bhumibol Adulyadej, the longest reigning king in
Thai history, is a constitutional monarch much honored an admired
by foreign states, and much beloved an highly respected by the Thai
people.
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Development
Worker
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Following the royal wedding
of His Majesty King Bhumibol Adulyadej in 1950, the Princess Mother
moved to an apartment in Lausanne. After she returned home to
Thailand, she regularly visited her residence in Switzerland to
rest and recuperate from her periods of work in rural Thailand.
Whenever the Princess Mother returned home to Thailand, she visited
people and government workers in remote regions. She worked ceaselessly
from 1964 until her death in 1995. She initiated projects throughout
the country in education, medical care for the lives of the poor
and underprivileged in remote areas. Those who knew the Princess
Mother or worked on projects she started all agreed that she was
direct and honest, strong, intelligent, generous and full of humanitarian
concerns. She chose to live a life of simplicity, always enjoying
natural beauty. She liked to occupy herself at all times, with
embroidery, gardening, flower pressing, and porcelain painting.
Her life and activities gave clear evidence of her conviction
that time should be used productively. She also had a natural
bent for learning in many fields, and more commendably, applied
her knowledge to practical situations to help the underprivileged.
Her Royal Highness the Princess Mother passed away on 18 July
1995. But the projects she started for the benefit of the people
continue. Her son, His Majesty King Bhumibol Adulyadej; her daughter,
Her Royal Highness Princess Galyani Vadhana Kromluang Naradhivas
Rajanagarindra; and her granddaughter, Her Royal Highness Princess
Maha Chakri Sirindhorn, carry on the work initiated by Her Royal
Highness the Princess Mother. UNESCO, in a proclamation passed
by the nations of their General Conference on 16 November 1999,
resolved to honor Her Royal Highness Somdej Phra Srinagarindra
Boromrajajonani The Princess Mother in the year 2000, on the occasion
of the centenary of her birth, as a world leader in public service
in the fields of education, applied science, and human , social,
and environmental development.
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